India captain Virat Kohli dropped one place to fifth despite his half century against Pakistan for a lost cause in the ongoing T20 World Cup while team-mate KL Rahul slipped two slots to eighth in the ICC men’s T20I Player Rankings issued on Wednesday.
Kohli (725 rating points) had hit 57 off 49 balls, while Rahul (684) scored 3 runs in India’s total of 151 for 7 which Pakistan chased down with 13 balls to spare for a 10-wicket win in the blockbuster Super 12 match here on Sunday. Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan is three places up to fourth — his career best ranking — following his match-winning 79 not out against India and 33 in their second win against New Zealand on Tuesday.
South Africa batter Aiden Markram, who struck 40 and 51 not out against Australia and the West Indies respectively, also attained his career-best ranking. He gained eight slots to reach third position, only behind Dawid Malan (831) of England and Pakistan captain Babar Azam (820). Markram’s previous best was ninth place last month and he now averages nearly 40 with a strike rate of 147.29 in his career.